Until the late 1960s, tens of thousands of children suffered crippling birth defects if their mothers had been exposed to rubella, popularly known as German measles, while pregnant; there was no vaccine and little understanding of how the disease devastated foetuses. The is story of a major breakthrough in cell biology.

For centuries, scientists had only one way to study the brain: wait for misfortune to strike - and see how the victims changed afterwards. This book explores the brain's secret passageways and recounts the forgotten tales of the ordinary individuals whose struggles, resilience and deep humanity made neuroscience possible.

What can a brain scan, or our reaction to a Caravaggio painting, reveal about the deep seat of guilt? How can reading Heidegger, or conducting experiments on rats, help us to cope with anxiety in the face of the world's economic crisis? This title takes us on a journey through our everyday lives and most common emotions.

Did the human race almost go extinct? Can genetics explain a cat lady's love for felines? And how did the right combination of genes create the exceptionally flexible thumbs and fingers of a truly singular violinist? This title explains how genetics has shaped our past and how DNA will determine humankind's future.

Science is just one way of looking at life. As a neuroscientist working at the forefront of medical research it is the author's way. When her father, Billy, succumbed to a mystery illness and slipped from consciousness into coma, she watched his life ebb away with a mixture of love and terror. This work offers an account of her father's last year.

Science is just one way of looking at life. As a neuroscientist working at the forefront of medical research, it is Ruth McKernan's way. Here, she presents an account of her father's last year intertwining love, grief and hope with scientific explanation of the way our brains and bodies work.